


Moments In Between

by IcarusWings87



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Angst, Eli has a lot of anger, F/F, sort of a delinquent!Eli AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 20:29:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8938024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcarusWings87/pseuds/IcarusWings87
Summary: Eli's angry at the world. She's found a place to hide but what happens when someone stumbles across her?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Cross posted from my tumblr. This was a submitted prompt.

Eli is angry. She’s been angry for as long as she can remember. Few things change for her as each year passes because every year it is the same. She’s always been different from other people. She’s always stood out like a sore thumb. If her tall stature wasn’t enough, her blonde hair and blue eyes definitely take the cake when it comes to drawing attention. It doesn’t matter where she travels, it was always the same.

Sometimes Eli can deal with the attention. Sometimes it is innocuous. But in far too many instances than she can count it simply isn’t. It’s jaw clenchingly frustrating.

Her features make her look foreign. Her blonde hair and fair skin even attract hatred from many of the people around her. She tries to tell them that she isn’t a foreigner. She was born in Japan. But they never believe her. It’s the Russian genetics in her that makes her stand out, even though she is only one quarter Russian at best.

She’s spoken Japanese since she was old enough to utter her first word but that doesn’t matter either. People always like to assume and she’s always the outsider because of it. The target of their snide comments about her appearance and ‘status’. Being mixed isn’t easy. Eli feels lost. Othered. She never fit in and she felt it in the core of her being. But like right now, she mostly just felt angry.

The anger started when she was young. It built up inside her until it bubbled over. She started fighting those girls at her schools who would tease her about her looks or bully her because she didn’t belong. She’s done her best to cool her temper and violent outbursts over the years. She hardly ever starts fights anymore but they always seem to find her. Today’s no different. A fight finds her on the first day of school. It usually does, especially when it’s a new school that she’s attending.

What’s supposed to be a new beginning turns out like all of the others. She goes to class, she introduces herself and the rumors already begin to circulate. She has to sit and listen while her classmates whisper horrible things about her behind her back. They never give her a chance or try to get to know her. They only touted her as the uppity ‘foreign girl’ and they steer clear. Everyone except the girls who seemed to have something to prove. The popular girls had approached her like all the times before. They threatened Eli about using her  looks to get a leg up on the social scene at school. Eli, never one to stand for the malice of other people, defend herself. She tells them that she has no interest in them or being popular.

They don’t believe her, saying she’s nothing more than an attention whore before pushing her and walking away. As the day goes on the popular girls begin a campaign of slander against Eli and by the end of the first day the whole school is talking about her and laughing at her. When Eli moves to walk out of her last class, the group of popular girls are waiting for her. Eli barely recognizes the ones from before, but it's clear there are a handful of new faces.

They jump her, thinking they have the upper hand but they never expected her to be able to defend herself. It takes less than a minute to wipe the floor with them, leaving them stunned. They flee from the scene with their tails between their legs and worse for wear but Eli knows they will be back. They will always come back for more. And then, eventually, others will come. Her school life is never at peace. Eli hates school

But even though she hates school it’s the only solitude she can find at the moment. After a long talk with her teacher - who scolds her for starting a fight like a delinquent - Eli holes up in an empty classroom as others head off to sports and other after school activities.

So Eli sits. She waits for her anger to go down as she nurses the bruises on her knuckles from punching a girl in the nose. Eli isn’t unscathed, though. She’s got several cuts on her right cheek from where one of the girls scratched her.

She flexes her hand gently as she thinks about what her mother will say when she finally goes home. She imagines that it won’t be a good scene. She’s had another fight and her mother will be mad. Her mother never understands or sympathizes, so she sits and waits for the courage to go home.

Running a hand through her messy hair, Eli turns to look out of the window.

‘At least it is a nice day. Perhaps I’ll go for a walk instead of hiding in here,’ Eli thinks. But the idea dies in her mind as it is replaced by the image of people staring at her as she walks through the neighborhood. Scratch that - she wasn’t going anywhere.

The door to the classroom slides open with a sharp _schwick_ and Eli is pulled from her thoughts. Turning to see who has dares enter her hiding space, Eli finds herself face to face with a girl with purple hair that’s bound in low twintails.

Eli stares icily at the girl. She recognizes her from her homeroom class. She sits behind her, but Eli doesn’t know her name. It doesn’t matter. Eli doesn’t care who she is because she will be just like everyone else. She wants to be left alone.

The girl smiles shyly at her. Clearly she doesn’t expect anyone to be in the room.

“Sorry, I thought the room would be empty.” she says quietly.

Eli turns away without saying anything. She looks out of the window once more. She closes her eyes thinking ignoring the girl will be enough to send a message. But she is surprised when she hears the scraping of a chair across the room.

Turning her head to look, Eli blinks in confusion and furrows her eyebrows. The girl is sitting at a desk and has pulled out a book. She reads it quietly, her expression isolated.

“What are you doing?” Eli asks at last.

The purple haired girl startles, surprised to hear Eli speak to her.

“Oh, um…” she tilts the book up a bit and looks at the title then back to Eli. “Reading?”

“I see that, but why?” Eli deadpans. Her voice is too sharp but she doesn’t care.

“Because I don’t want to go home yet.”

‘Same as me,” Eli thinks though outwardly she sighs in frustration.

“Sorry.” The girls says looking away. She’s panicked and embarrassed thinking she has offended Eli. “I-I can go somewhere else, it is just that this classroom was empty. Or at least I thought it was…”

“Whatever,” Eli mutters just loud enough so that the girl can hear her. “I don’t care.” She goes back to her thoughts and to looking out of the window.

The girl blushes but goes back to her book. They don’t speak again.

\---

Leaning her head against the side of the gardener’s tool shed, Eli sits hugging her knees to her chest. Her anger sits in her chest like a lead weight. She’s so hurt and angry today that she can’t stand it. Another girl made a comment about her hair. Instead of letting it go when Eli told her to back off, the girl continued with her verbal assault. The next thing Eli knew she had the girl pinned against the brick wall in the school yard and a crowd of people around her. The scene had gotten to be too much and Eli had fled from it, finding herself in the position she’s in now.

As Eli tries to clear her head, she hears the sound of the grass rustle nearby. Turning to see the source of the noise, Eli finds herself looking at the purple haired girl again. She notices that the girl has turquoise eyes.

‘How unusual,’ Eli thinks as she makes eye contact with the girl.

The tinge of crimson on the girl’s cheeks makes her look as though she has just been caught in the act of something, but the girl smiles at Eli anyway. It’s cautious, but genuine. Eli just stares back at her unsure what she wants from her.

The girl’s smile falters slightly but she gives Eli a nod in greeting before coming over and sitting down on the grass. She ignores Eli’s stare as she sits with her back against the little shack and proceeds to rummage in her bag for something.

‘It’s the third time that this has happened,’ Eli thinks.

The girl always happens to find her way to where Eli is hiding. It’s a strange coincidence. Eli always wants to be alone but the girl always walks in on her being angry or sulky. Perhaps it isn’t a coincidence but if it isn’t Eli thinks the girl must be crazy to seek her out and just sit down next to her like she was doing now. Eli’s known to be a delinquent after all.

The girl pulls a small container out of her bag and opens it. Inside are an assortment of baked bread buns. They look homemade with their uneven crosshatches on top. Eli inhales as their fragrance reaches her nose. Her stomach decides to rumble. Embarrassed, she clutches her stomach apologetically. With all of the hassle of the day she hadn’t eaten lunch.

As if she anticipated it, the girl extends the open box to Eli, offering her one of the buns. At first, Eli thinks she will turn it down, but after another rumble from her stomach, she takes one with a mumbled ‘thank you’ and begins to eat.

The taste of the bread fills her mouth and she begins to eat vigorously. A few bites in and she discovers a savory custard filling. Eli thinks it is the perfect balance of bread and sweet filling. She smiles as she chews feeling warm for the first time in recent memory. Eli is about to take another bite when she glances over to see the girl staring at her, her expression is hard for Eli to read at first and she raises an eyebrow in question. Though, there appears to be a hint of a smile playing at the corners of the girls mouth.

Discovering that Eli has caught her staring, the girl ducks her head and looks away with an apologetic smile.

“It’s delicious.” Eli says breaking the silence. She thinks her face is red but she can’t tell. It certainly feels warm. “Um..thank you.”

It’s then that Eli realizes she doesn’t know the girl’s name.

“By the way. I’m Eli. Ayase Eli.” She says quietly.

“I know.” the girl smiles. “I’m Nozomi. Toujou Nozomi.”

“Nozomi.” Eli tests the name on her tongue. It fits the girl, she thinks. She takes another bite of her bun. It’s almost gone. She savors the last few bites.

“It’s nice to officially meet ya. Especially since we’ve done this a few times already.” Nozomi giggles.

“Yeah..we have...” Eli blows a loose strand of hair out of her face. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”

“Do what?” Nozomi’s expression is curious.

“Sit here with me. People will talk about you if they see you with me. No one likes me. My reputation scares them..”

“Well, I’m not scared of you.” Nozomi says, nibbling on her bun. “I couldn’t care less about what they think. They are mean. And besides, I like sitting with ya.”

‘Me too,’ Eli thinks to herself but she can’t bring herself to say it aloud. She isn’t used to kindness like this. Kindness without strings attached. She doesn’t know how to act. Instead she shrugs.

“Suit yourself.”

They continue to eat in silence.

\---

Eli is sitting in a chair, her head down. Nozomi has found her again today. She always does, but Eli wishes she hadn’t. She feels defeated and exposed. She lost a fight that day and her head is hung in shame.

Eli doesn’t answer Nozomi even though she hears the her approach cautiously. Nozomi reaches her hand out to Eli’s face hesitantly. Eli wants to pull away; she knows she should. But the moment that Nozomi’s soft hand touches her cheek to turn her face to her she knows that for a change she’d rather stay.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Nozomi asks quietly as she inspects the cut over Eli’s eye and then the cut on Eli’s lip. She looks pretty rough and that’s before Nozomi notices Eli’s puffy red eyes.

Eli doesn’t answer the question. She just looks away from Nozomi. Her feelings are too much right now.

Nozomi nods, letting Eli know that it’s fine to not talk about it.

“This won’t scar, I don’t think.” Nozomi comments. She moves away and Eli immediately misses the contact. Eli panics and reaches for Nozomi’s hand. She latches on.

Nozomi looks at her with worry. “Eli?”

There are so many things Eli can say right now. So many words she wants to say about how bad her day is or how bad her busted lip hurts. She can say something about how odd it is that they keep meeting like this. Or how much she’s begun to look forward to their quiet moments even if she’s too stubborn to open up to Nozomi. She can say how scared she is about her life, especially when she loses fights - like she did today. But she says none of that. There is only one thing that pours over her lips when she thinks Nozomi is about to walk away.

“Don’t leave me,” Eli croaks out. Her voice is small. Broken.

Nozomi’s eyes widen. She feels Eli’s grip waver slightly. Her heart is breaking. She stops moving and turns to face Eli again. She places a hand on top of hers.

“Hey,” She says quietly as she tries to get Eli to look at her. “I’m not going anywhere except to get something to clean your face with, okay?”

Eli hates that she feels so needy. She hates that it takes her a minute before she feels reassured that Nozomi isn’t going to leave the room. She lets go of her hand, letting her own fall to her lap. She looks down.

“Be right back.” Nozomi whispers, letting her hand run down Eli’s arm.

Eli hears the sound of running water from the faucet at the back of the art room. She hears it shut off and Nozomi’s footsteps follow as she returns to Eli’s side, setting down a bowl of clean water down on the desk next to her.

“We’ll clean you up a little bit and you’ll be as good as new.” Nozomi says as she wrings out a clean rag into the water. She gently touches the cloth to Eli’s forehead and proceeds to clean the cut.

Even though she is gentle, Eli hisses in pain. Nozomi pauses to check in before Eli indicates she can continue. Once the cut is clean, Nozomi sets the rag back in the bowl and reaches into her bag and pulls out a small first aid kit. Eli idly wonders when she started carrying it with her.

The silence feels heavy to Eli as Nozomi applies antibacterial cream and a bandage to the cut above her eye. Once it’s done, Nozomi moves to pick up the rag once more and wrings it out. The sound of the water breaks the silence if only for a brief moment. Eli wonders if she should be saying anything. She doesn’t know how to do this.

“Alright. Last one. Look at up at me.” The reassuring smile can be heard in Nozomi’s voice and Eli looks up without issue.

She’s caught off guard by the gentle look in Nozomi’s eyes and finds herself staring, her mouth partly open.

‘Nozomi’s pretty,’ Eli thinks. Then she flushes immediately averts her gaze once more.

She hears a chuckle and Nozomi dabs the rag to Eli’s busted lip.

“There. That’s not so bad.”

Nozomi continues to patch Eli up. She is careful, patient and she hums quietly. The time passes in a haze for them both. It’s awkward but there is an understanding between the both of them.

Nozomi doesn’t say anything when tears land on the top of Eli’s skirt. She hums a little louder.

\---

When it’s time to leave, Eli walks side by side with Nozomi out of the school. They walk quietly. Eli still isn’t sure what to say.

‘What do I say after I’ve made a fool out of myself?’ she thinks. She rarely lets people see her like that. But somehow she doesn’t mind what’s happened. She feels lighter.

As she tries to find the words, Eli realizes that they’ve reached the gate where they will separate from one another. She stops and looks at Nozomi. More silence. She coughs and decides that perhaps there is nothing to say. Nozomi smiles at her and turns to leave. But Eli panics as she realizes something new: She doesn’t want tomorrow to be like it was today.

For the second time that day, Eli reaches out and grabs Nozomi’s hand and stops her from leaving. Nozomi turns to look at her startled by Eli’s action.

Eli locks her icy blue gaze with Nozomi’s warmer turquoise one.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” Eli asks, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. She offers a small, hopeful smile in exchange for her awkwardness.

Nozomi blinks rapidly as if she doesn’t know if she hears what Eli has said. But soon her mouth becomes a smile so wide that Eli thinks that it might split her face in two. Nozomi is beaming at her as if nothing in the world would make her happier than to see Eli the next day.

“Of course. Elichi is my friend, after all.”

Eli’s heart soars with Nozomi’s answer. And for the first time in her life she finds herself looking forward to going to school.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you think? It's an open ending. Let me know in the comments how ya feel. Maybe I'll write more one day.


End file.
